Ocean
by Nayru Elric
Summary: Sometimes, you do what you must in the moment in order to get by, and only after the war has passed, do you realize the enormity of what you have lost. Years after becoming the Hero of Twilight, Link returns to the Arbiter's Grounds to find everything has changed – except himself. Post-TP. Lidna and Lilia.


**Summary: **Sometimes, you do what you must in the moment in order to get by, and only after the war has passed, do you realize the enormity of what you have lost. Years after becoming the Hero of Twilight, Link returns to the Arbiter's Grounds to find everything has changed – except himself.

* * *

**Ocean**

* * *

_I'd rather see the ocean once in a lifetime,  
__And miss it for the rest of my days  
__Than never feel the sand beneath my naked feet,  
__And never hear the sound of breaking waves._

_—__**Native**_

* * *

The sun is low when heavy boots trudge up the stairs of the Arbiter's Grounds. With a scuff of dirt, the steps echo at the zenith of the tower, between columns of stone in the Mirror Chamber. Toward the frame that lays untouched on the center platform, naught but a husk now, are deep, cerulean eyes. The wind stirs golden-brown hair around his face and long green hat at his shoulder, whistling hollowly through the arena and his elven ears. Hesitatingly, Link takes a step forward.

The Mirror of Twilight – or what's left of it – casts its shadow over the ancient monolith embedded in the sand. As Link approaches, a flash of its former glory crosses his mind: The white runes that imprinted on stone, telescoping into another dimension entirely. The fluorescent, heavenly stairs that ascended into a realm filled with beings beyond his wildest imagination.

This place has laid undisturbed for many years. All but forgotten by the tales told of the Hero of Twilight's valor, the first time Link was here, he was but 17 years old. With no idea who he was or what he was doing, in the time since then, word has spread across the land; word of the hero who vanquished evil, and saved all the Hyruleans-turned-spirits. Now, he can't go anywhere without someone recognizing his name, his face, without being swarmed by adoring fans. Trapped in the bureaucracy of Hyrule alongside Queen Zelda, it was a wonder how he had been able to come out here at all. It has been many years.

Tracing unseen footprints, Link walks up the steps of the center platform, to the Mirror frame. Reaching out a hand, his palm covered with brown leather, armguard clinking softly, Link runs his fingers over the concavity of the frame. He almost expects to hear the familiar ringing denoting its activation, but not even microscopic shards remain embedded in the frame. His jawline is harder now, compared to when he was last here. More lucidity and wisdom dwell in his originally innocent and adolescent features. His shoulders are sharper than before, from years more on the road. Smiling bittersweetly at the lack of magic he feels emanating from the empty frame, finally, Link retracts his hand.

_As I expected._

The thought only contributes to the staleness he feels in the air. With a sideways glance over his shoulder, Link sees his silhouette on the ancient black Portal Stone. The shadow of the Mirror frame is no longer there, though the ancient material looms omnipotently in the ever-fading twilight.

What was he hoping for by coming here? For the pieces of the Mirror to rise miraculously from the dirt and sand and reconnect, unscathed, reactivating the Mirror of Twilight that Midna shattered over eight years ago?

Chuckling at his hopelessness, Link slumps against the base of the Mirror frame. He rests his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands. His fingers drag over his face, where he feels the darkness beneath his eyes. It hadn't been easy to reach the Mirror Chamber at the summit of the Arbiter's Grounds – oh, no, he had spent days trekking through the haunted prison halls, dodging all manner of the undead as he sought out the next staircase to the top around the next labyrinthian turn. Although Zant's curtain of Twilight has been banished from the land for what feels like ages now, Link still feels the ache of the journey in his bones.

Clutching his shoulders, he begins to tremble. Monsters or not, their blood was spilled by _his_ hands. The blade of evil's bane _he_ wielded. In the months after Link's triumph over the Demon King Ganondorf, its voice began to overtake him. It chanted in his mind as the voices of all those he had murdered with its latent, possessive power. Whether that was a vestige of the Fused Shadows or the Mirror of Twilight, Link didn't know.

The Master Sword isn't with him now. No, he returned the sword to its rightful place in Faron Woods after his campaign with Zelda to clear monsters from the fields, slaughtering hundreds, perhaps thousands of creatures to make way for an era of peace for the Hyruleans… The sword could wait in Faron forever for the next hero for all he cared.

Sighing, Link drops his arms to his lap.

He remembers what his life used to be like, many years ago. Before Twilight spread across the land, and the burden of becoming the Hero of Twilight hadn't yet been ascribed to him. In the time between then and now, countless enemies had thrown him to the ground, shattering bones, causing his blood to gush from all manner of places… Every hardship he faced was just another stake through the naïveté of his young heart back then, devastating the idyllic dream of the life he knew in Ordon. Whether it was the burning cold or freezing heat, the threat of being unable to breach the surface of water in time, towering enemies closing in all around him, or his body transforming against his will, spurned by everyone around him – the physical pain of his journey was a mere distraction from the burden of Hyrule's fate on his shoulders.

Link jolts awake, having been nodding in and out of consciousness. Lifting his head, he catches sight of a ghostly figure in his peripheral vision, one he is sure he's seen before. Standing immediately, Link draws his sword and holds it out defensively, level with his chest. His temple clammy, heart pounding, Link's glare never wavers on the area around the Portal Stone. In his mind's eye, he sees Ganondorf making his original escape, crushing one of the Six Sages as he did so, and he –

Link snaps back to reality.

Years as a warrior have made him constantly on alert, even when danger is nowhere nearby.

Lowering his arm and sword, eventually, Link looks up at the newly risen moon. Its milky white light shines through the arches of the Mirror Chamber. As another gust blows through his hair, he feels another part of his soul leave him.

Moving back toward the staircase, Link sheathes the Ordon Sword. There is no point in staying here.

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

_The first time he returned to the Arbiter's Grounds, it had only been a year after Midna destroyed the Mirror of Twilight. He stumbled back into the Mirror Chamber in a desperate hope. Link pawed gingerly through the sand for hours upon hours looking for Mirror shards. From sunrise until sunset, he found naught but a handful of visible microscopic shards, his fingers and hands bloody from the day's work. When nighttime came around, the voices of the Six Sages howled in unison._

"You there, Hero of Twilight."

_Startling Link, the Sages drifted close to the lone Hero. Haloed by silvery light above and below, they moved with perfect, spectral synchronization. Their heads bowed in dismay at the despairing state of the hero of Hyrule. One spoke out above the rest. _"What troubles your heart so that you would return to this accursed place?"

_Link avoided their unearthly, mournful stares. Surreptitiously wiping his face, he simply muttered, _"I'm sorry to disturb you," _as he stood and turned to leave._

"No need,"_ replied the one, momentarily holding out a large, trail-sleeved hand to stop Link. The Sages' pitless eyes lowered in sorrow. "_We will leave you to your own devices, if that is what you wish. But just know… you will not find answers here. This is a place of ruin. No matter the pain, one must continue to live on, even without those who have passed on. It is our burden to carry."

_Bowing their heads, they recalled their comrade, who was murdered by Ganondorf right in front of them in a matter of seconds. Glimpsing their sorrow, Link understood their meaning. With that, the spirits bowed to him, falling back into stone, phasing into the air._

_Standing alone in the arena, Link tried to keep the tears from his eyes as one crimson-stained hand clasped the meager amount of glass he'd been able to salvage from the sand. He smiled wryly, unable to control himself. _Move on from the past?_ As if it were that easy…_

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

A few days later, puffy-eyed and fatigued, Link arrives back through the east gate of Castle Town. Hooves clopping on grey stone, it is dusk as he dismounts Epona and leads her into a stall. His fingers tenderly rub behind her bright beige ears and fluffy white mane, becoming absent as he stares past the mound of hay his horse laps up with her agile lips. Whickering at his lack of attention to his petting, Epona flicks of her head, nudges his chest. Coming back to the present, Link grins at her. Looking into her kind brown eyes, her bright curly fur sticks to his green tunic – its color faded compared to when he first attained it from Light Spirit Faron all those years ago.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry," Link murmurs softly, humor in his voice. He continues to rub her down as he unclips her saddle and bridle.

"LOOK! THERE HE IS! IT'S THE HERO OF TWILIGHT!"

Before Link can whip around toward the voice, an army of fans rushes toward him in the stables. He bolts into Castle Town without trepidation, and Epona grumbles behind after him.

The mob consists of as many male fans as female ones: Young men aspiring to become as valiant of a warrior as Link one day; women who want to see who the Hero of Twilight was for themselves. Link dashes over wooden carts carrying produce and potions, shopkeepers yelling after him as he slips past people who either shake their heads in annoyance or melt at having encountered the Hero of Twilight themselves. His feet are light and quick through Castle Town square, by now quite familiar with song and dance. He used to humor his fans, sign whatever they wanted, listen to their life stories and pleas to become his apprentice-in-arms. He always answered with polite refusal, but after Link reached a certain age, he realized the more he indulged these people, the more they would flock around him. So, never the kind of person to be a crowd pleaser, he ran.

He wouldn't stop running until they stopped chasing him.

Eventually, Link comes to a hidden alleyway. Pressing his back against a dark alcove, he peeks around the corner to watch the last few dilly-dalliers, who were somehow able to keep up with him throughout the length of Castle Town. They dart past, out of breath. Some pause by the alleyway to scan the area before carrying on, sensing the eyes watching them nearby, but they never see him. Letting out a deep, exhausted exhale, Link relaxes against the wall.

_Now, how to get back to Epona…? _Link knows people will recognize him as the hero and warm him again if he goes any farther into the city. So, he decides to follow the same alleyway from the west market all the way to the southern gate to circle back up to where Epona resides in the eastern stables.

Despite his annoyance that day or the loss of his innocence he's felt these past eight years, Link knows life is better now. Being adored by everyone isn't as bad as he makes it seem. Truly, Link enjoys all the company he has nowadays, the heaviness lifted from the land… but he can never reside in Ordon again.

Years ago, Beth and Talo worked out their differences, and have gone their separate ways. Beth now works as a river game hostess in eastern Hyrule, Talo as the soldier on guard-duty in Kakariko – they return to partners in crime when together, but hardly ever in Ordon anymore. Malo is as mean a shopkeeper as always, running the finest establishment in Castle Town with the best (and most expensive) goods, with a chain store setting up across all regions of Hyrule – and at such a young age! He's 12 now, and still has that babyish roundness to his face as per his brand. In fact, Link passes the original shop's grand firelight in Castle Town square now as he ducks in and out of alleyways. He grins to himself when he sees the young shop owner himself coming outside to scold one of his bank tellers for malpractice. In the fading light, Link continues on.

Guided by trustworthy advisors, Queen Zelda, Prince Ralis, and Patriarch Darbus lead their people into a new age of peace. Agreeing to coexist with the Bulblins, a pact was signed with the king to protect their claim to lands in the outermost reaches of Hyrule, specifically the desert, while the campaign to cleanse the land of Hyrule transpired, the Hero of Twilight and Queen Zelda at the helm. Yet again, Link shivers at the number of lives that had fallen to his sword during those blood bathed years, not yet long enough ago to seem like aches from a distant past. He presses on through the alleyway, almost back to Epona.

Studying shamanism under her aging father Renado, Luda is becoming the next high priestess for consultation and assembly with the gods. Telma, Shad, Ashei, and Auru continue to look onward, searching for new areas of exploration to uncover Hyrule's secrets, of which Link has participated from time to time. Ordon Village maintains its native roots as Hyrule's main producer of goat milk and cheese with Fado at the helm. The increased commerce and origin story of the Hero of Twilight had created a new boom in tourism, which everyone else at the village took joyous part in (especially Mayor Bo, who denied liking it sometimes). It was impossible to find a dull moment there anymore. Even Ilia seems to enjoy it after all that had happened, not knowing how to reach Link anymore…

All is as it should be. And yet, Link, he…

He felt distant from it all.

Once he reaches Epona in the stables at the eastern gate again, Link takes off his hat. Throwing it beside his sword, shield, and chainmail, he carefully folds his green Hero's tunic as he hits the hay beside Epona. He isn't ready to truly be himself again, to show the world that he's not just the hero – but a farm boy, who only wanted to save his friends, and ended up falling in love with the fight thanks to the annoying imp at his side.

A heated gust of wind hits Link in the stables from outside the city, rattling him to his bones. Lying next to Epona, Link cranes his neck and head to look out toward the gate. Blue light hits the drawbridge of Castle Town, where the soldiers scurry around the barracks, coordinating their effort to raise the bridge. Before they do, Link stands up, wandering slowly away from Epona, to the edge of the stables. His hands are on the gate as he gazes across the moat into Hyrule Field, toward the desert, where he'd just come from. Rusl's words whisper to him from that night so long ago, as they have so many times before:

"_They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs… The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world…"_

With the last golden light of day hitting the grass with an ethereal glow, the hum of the city life but a few paces behind him. It almost drowns out as he leans against the gate, listening to the songbirds tooting in the trees. Link watches the spot on the other side of the bridge with bated breath as the metal gate falls. The _chinking_ of its movement is loud and sequential, and when the drawbridge raises, the world is shut outside. Link's heart sinks. He turns back to Epona.

_She isn't there…_

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

Sometimes, you do what you must in the moment in order to get by, and only after the war has passed, do you realize the enormity of what you have lost.

Re-equipping Epona's saddle and bridle the next day, again Link's fingers slow in his routine. At the very place he'd just visited in the Arbiter's Grounds, he remembers sobbing into Zelda's arms that first day. It hadn't been the first time he'd returned there, hoping to reconnect with Midna somehow – anyhow.

Gazing over his Hero's Tunic, Link decides to pack it away, and opts for more modest clothing in his journey to the south. He buys a crème-colored, short-sleeved shirt that drapes loosely around his frame, a brownish-grey fur pelt to throw over his shoulders – clipped under his chin with a monster tooth. His short-cut brown pants tuck into his short, black leather boots – quite reliable despite all his adventuring as of late. And of course, he stows away his green hat. Few will recognize him in these clothes.

Mounting Epona, Link urges her into the darkness before the dawn. On Hyrule Field, he passes barren strongholds, abandoned campsites, and sharp rocky structures – all but a blur in the foray of Link's mind. Traveling between villages isn't nearly as dangerous now, thanks to his and Zelda's campaign once Ganondorf was gone. Wind blows his hair around his face, focused on a place far ahead.

He's 25 now. Eight years have passed since he defeated Ganondorf and watched Midna disappear into the Twilight Realm. Her tender grin deteriorating into a serious, somber stare before his eyes…

Everyone was happy and content around him, settling into a new flow of life in new the Hyrule Queendom. Increased connection and commerce between Hyrule Castle, Ordon Village, Kakariko, the Zoras and Gorons have centralized the land – uniting the races into a new age of overwhelming peace and prosperity. Hyrule hadn't seen such an age of enlightenment in centuries, with only old grudges and degeneration facing the races before Twilight descended upon the land, once the people mourned those who had been transformed or lost to the Shadow Beasts, and recuperated their losses…

Admittedly, Link, too, had grown to enjoy the new atmosphere that radiated across the land, returning Hyrule to a golden age from history.

And yet…

"_Link, I… See you later."_

No matter how hard he tries to forget her, to focus on the people and environment he has now, he can't. Nothing can compare to the hardships he faced as the Hero of Twilight, etched in his mind with no possible emancipation. No one knew his struggle, nor bore his pain. Not quite like she.

It hadn't been much at the time. A knowing look. A mischievous smirk. Her scaly fingertips lingering on his cheek, or her limp body in his arms, that blood-red eye shifting up to meet his face in tenderness. Overtaken by the evil power they both came to covet and fear, they had reveled in that pain together.

At first, her dispassion had been part of the reason why he suppressed showing it, until it was only she who heard and shared in his unspoken whimpers, the weight placed on their shoulders to save their respective kingdoms. Only she had come to know how it really felt to be chosen by the gods.

What imperfection lay in the past, begging him to reconsider what could have been?

How much time had he wasted, wishing he could tell her how he felt, to show her, make her feel something before she left him alone in this world…?

He only wanted to ask her why. Why, after all they had been through together, did she deny that they speak to one another? Why, if she had seen the folly of their ways, their covetous mutiny, that light and darkness really could never mix, did she not tell him, so they could change or share at least one night of each other's company?

Had it all been inside his head?

Swelling inside him, Link cries out in grief. He pulls Epona to a halt on Hyrule Field, her hooves landing flatly on the ground, kicking up dust as she complains at him. Somewhere on the southern slope away from Hyrule Castle, the vapid emptiness of the grassy fields surrounds Link for miles to see. A shaking arm covers his eyes.

Does she ever think about him while locked away in her lonely tower, watching the darkness glow in her endless sky? Does she long for the days she spent partnered with her blue-eyed beast, though their battle scars had no chance of healing?

He wipes his tears away feverishly, his hands rough and battle worn. He can't see where he's going in the strengthening morning light. The tears bubble forth without stop.

_Every day, I've felt lost without you,_ he thinks, shuddering from the enormity of what he lost – and hardly knew.

_Midna… how could you?_

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

_Years ago, after his campaign with Queen Zelda, he and Ilia laid in bed together in a private room at the Kakariko inn._

"Link? Is something wrong? Link?"

_Arm around her, he shook his head. He wanted to reassure her that everything was fine, that he was there, only with her, but he couldn't lie to Ilia._

_Seeing the familiar vacantness in Link's eyes, Ilia understood. She sat up, moving away from him as her head leaned on one elbow, looking past the wall. Link sat up too, trying to comfort her with a hand on her shoulder. _

"Ilia, I –"

"No, Link."_ Her voice hitched, and she shook under his hand as tears fall from her eyes. She wiped them, and he went to help her, but she stopped his hand in the air. _"You're too trapped in the past. You can't forget Midna. That's why it'll never work between us."

_The words hit him like a load of bricks. As he sat beside her, sobbing her eyes out, his heart sunk. He wanted to lash out at her, tell her it wasn't true, to assure her that it was just her imagination and that he was here. But he knew that wasn't true._

_He couldn't stop thinking about Midna, hoping she would return one day. He was only using Ilia as a distraction until then. It wasn't fair to either of them._

_All he could do was apologize._

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

"Link! It's been so long!"

Snapping Link out of his reverie, bounding toward him now is Colin. Taller now, a spark in his droopy blue eyes, the boy grins at Link, his closest friend growing up. Ordon Village bustles as usual with the trade of commerce, and Colin is as industrious as ever. Donning a blue-grey tunic and leather holster, the boy carries a small sword on his back, his stance upright, brimming with newfound confidence.

At the small steam running through the middle of Ordon Village, Epona's lips dribble as she lifts her head from the surface of the water to see the young kid. Her jaw rotates as if chewing something, seeing Colin approach them. Link is surprised to have Colin coming toward him less than five minutes of entering in the village and laughs heartily. _I guess that's one thing that hasn't changed. _Everyone knew everyone around here.

For the last six months, Link had been traveling with Rusl, Auru, Ashei, and Shad to uncovering the secrets of Hyrule's unexplored areas. It had been a good break after the stuffiness of Queen Zelda's high court, and he knew she envied him for being able to leave unannounced. Rusl and the others returned to civilization a few days before Link, as he'd said he wanted to spend time exploring the Arbiter's Grounds. Link remembers the sympathetic stare he'd gotten from Rusl at that time, knowing what troublesome affairs lay for the hero in Castle Town. He hadn't told anyone other than Zelda and Ilia about Midna.

"I heard about your travels with my dad," says Colin. "Wow, to believe there was a giant statue of an ancient goddess hidden in a mountain cave on Snowpeak! That's incredible!"

Link nods at him. "Yeah, it was something."

"And all the gold you found, too! Did you bring any back with you?"

A hand on Colin's shoulder stops the kid in the middle of his questioning. Rusl's soothing, if more scratchy and elderly voice speaks up. "Link, fancy seeing you here." He gives Link a half-smile, sensing the distance Link kept between himself and society now. The large smile crinkles his eyes, his expression more sympathetic than Link would like to admit. "How are you?"

Link half-nods, half-shrugs, not really answering. He's never been a man of many words, especially when it comes to expressing his feelings.

Taking a step forward, Rusl rests his hand on Link's shoulder. Looking into Rusl's face, Link sees conflict there, from the pain of lost time, and all he had sensed when they'd been traveling together. "Know that you aren't alone, Link. You can rely on us if you need any help."

Link feels a pang in his chest, knowing Rusl's words to be true, and his own hesitation to rely on anyone nowadays. The hustle and bustle of the village halts any chance of clarity in his mind. Powerless to stop them, the panic of seeing his childhood best friends shot and kidnapped before his eyes creeps up behind him. The must and mold of the castle dungeons as his entire body was damp and aching, contorted into a form entirely alien to him. The fiery coldness in Zelda's eyes as she gave the Link, captain of her soldiers, the order to murder all monsters on Hyrule Field, and his mechanical movements that obeyed her command…

The only thought on Link's mind at the start of it all was to escape back to his peaceful life with Ilia and the others. Midna's devilish sneer hadn't cared for him or the plight of the kingdom, seeing the bleak sky and perpetual rain. The ruptures in reality from the square-shaped holes of Twilight climbing upwards in space. How far his goals had led him astray from back then…

When Link doesn't respond, Rusl frowns. Arms falling in defeat at his sides, the old man sighs. "We're always here for you if you need us. Don't you forget that."

Link nods furtively, and then they leave him alone at the stream's side. Colin stares behind him, after Link.

At Epona's impatient pawing into the ground, Link shakes his head, suppressing the images in his mind. Tiredly, his eyes lift to mayor's house. Outside, Mayor Bo, dressed in the full attire of a cordial aristocrat, ushers tourists toward his house or up the hill toward the goat ranch. Behind Mayor Bo, on the porch, Link glimpses someone he hasn't seen in many months. Face hot at seeing her cheerfully passing out tokens to those who came out of the tour of their house, Link whirls around when she notices and looks his way. Pretending to be walking the opposite direction, he can feel her eyes boring into his back like daggers as he leads Epona the other way.

Suddenly, there's a hand on his shoulder. Audibly, he cries out in shock. Ilia blinks at him as he whips around with wild eyes.

"Link," she says, slightly off-guard. Quickly, she corrects the smidgen of emotion in her tone, tightening it into something flat and unassuming. "It's been a while."

He and Ilia had had their falling out ages ago. They'd tried to be together many times, but what with his constant absence to assist Queen Zelda repair the kingdom and his emotional absence even when they were together, they both knew it couldn't work between them. Ilia had sensed the change in him after he became the Hero of Twilight, and hopeful she could bring him back, had had to understand the hard way that he was too distant for her to understand anymore.

_Why did I come back to Ordon?! _he finds himself demanding. The only thing that lay here was sorrow and regret… right? "L-long time no see," he manages.

"I thought you were on a trip with Rusl?" Her voice is monotone, too hurt from his change of heart to address him as she did in their childhood.

"We just returned," he squeaks. "I thought I'd stop by and see how Ordon's doing. Since it's been ages."

She nods slightly. "Mm. We're doing just fine. My father won't stop making me work at the tour admissions. But it's fine. I've needed something to keep me occupied. After…" She trails off, not looking him in the eye, a little embarrassed to have alluded to it.

An awkward silence passes where neither of them say anything. Such a thing had been a common occurrence in their youth. Ilia, knowing the kind of person Link was, hadn't minded back then – but those peaceful summer days were long gone now. Still…

"I hope you find what you're looking for," she says, looking at him again, a little disarmed. There's sincerity in her thin words. Turning away from him, Ilia heads back toward the admission stall.

"Ah, Ilia." His lips move and his hand reaches after her before he can process what he's doing. "I –" Sheepishly, Link lowers his chin at the surprise in her face from his raised tone.

"Yes?"

Gaining courage, Link looks up at her, something breaking in his face as he admits, "I've missed you. Would you… spend time with me?"

Finally, something happens to her too, though it's greatly subtle. Her expression becomes softer, though it remains rather stony. "Sure. I get off at sundown."

Link feels the hair on the back of his neck relax. "Meet me near the spring."

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

He spends the next few hours checking out the shops where he used to play in his youth. Astounded to find Sera's cat (Link) still alive in her now-glamorous shop, the place is full not only of knickknacks and farm produce, but of spiritual rocks and fancy attire for any fortune-teller from Castle Town. Link travels up the hill to say hello to Fado as well, the man who had apprenticed him, and been his best friend for many years before his journey. Given their different paths in life, the two hardly had anything in common now: a goatherd and hardened warrior. It's still good to talk to him and catch up every now and then, though.

When the sun is low enough to cast shadows over the fields, Link leads Epona to Ordon Spring, sits down in the sand, and waits. He closes his eyes, letting the sun reach his shoulders, his fur thrown over Epona's back, listening to the breeze rattle through the trees. When there's a shift in the sun over his face, he hears her light voice only a few feet away.

"Link. Hey."

Opening his eyes, Link sees Ilia's subtly-grinning face in front of him: her slender cheeks, shoulders, and kind, diamond-shaped green eyes. There's a new maturity to her as well, though, in her short-sleeved brown top and pants, in the lines that have appeared around her eyes. As if seeing her for the first time, Link smiles at her wider than he has in years.

Taking a clumsy seat next to him, kicking up sand as she goes, her hands caress Epona's face as she walks over to them in the spring, whinnying quietly. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Ilia asks.

Blinking at her, Link has no idea what she means, and the haze in his head at the familiar scene fades. "Nothing. I just wanted to see you."

Ilia raises a skeptical eyebrow, letting go of Epona as she sloshes away.

Knowing he should come up with something, Link gulps. "I-I was wondering… if you… wanted to go on a trip to the ocean with me."

Ilia's jaw drops in surprise. "The ocean?! You mean that huge giant body of water that goes on forever and has monsters of all kinds of who-knows-what from who-knows-where?!" Her arms spread in awe of the stories she's heard of its size.

"Yeah. That one."

"Link… I have work. I'm the admissions teller for my father's house now – well, I wish he wouldn't lead people through my room." She grumbles the last part. "But I can't just abandon him. Who else will take my place? And besides…"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they can get his would be fun. We could both get away from the business of Hyrule, and figure out –"

Her stare is impregnable as she looks at him. "Link. You know it doesn't work between us. We've tried. Many times. You know…" Her words are gradual, reminiscent, but contained. "I like you. A lot. But, this… we're too different now."

Link knows what she wants to say. _"You're too trapped in the past. You can't forget Midna. That's why it'll never work between us."_

Before, he would have given her only silence, unsure how to respond to her call-out. Now, rather than a pounding in the back of his head, there's a serene stillness in the air. The butterflies near the horse grass hover for a few seconds before landing. The crystal water of the spring sparkles in the setting sun. It is sublime.

He'll never know if the Princess of Twilight felt the same way about their journey as he. He may never truly heal from all that occurred in the past… but that's as it should be.

"I know," he says, much to Ilia's surprise. "That's why I want to get away for a little while. I visited the Arbiter's Grounds again, and I…" Link feels a tightness in his chest. "I realized how ridiculous this is. I don't expect anything of you, Ilia, I just… don't want to go alone."

Her eyes widen, and she seems to catch the transformation in his voice.

"Okay. We'll go."

Link gives her a grateful look. "Thank you. We can set off tomorrow."

They stay near the water chatting for a while longer, falling asleep side-by-side on the sand, as they used to when they were children.

* * *

**. . .**

* * *

Leaves swipe at Link's face as he urges Epona on through the forest with a whoop. Behind him on the saddle is Ilia, holding onto his back as they travel farther south. It's a two-day journey, often thought to be too dangerous; but Link's charge with Queen Zelda had all but cleared monsters down here too, fleeing in fear of the warrior in the front lines. They're stopped a few times by beasts on their path, and though Ilia hates seeing Link act as the soldier to kill them off, this time, she doesn't turn away.

Finally, after two days' ride, pulling on the reins to bring Epona to a halt, the three of them are on a large, grassy sand dune before the breaking waves of the sea. Link dismounts and leads Epona to the shore, where Ilia gets off with a huff, overwhelmed by the thunderous sound, louder than a storm. Stepping out onto the sand, which feels soft beneath their naked feet, Link and Ilia look over the vastness of the sea. Breathing in the saltiness of the air, they say nothing to each other.

Over the past few days, they'd laughed together as they once did, and shared in each other's pain. Not without regret. Not without sorrow. Not without change.

Link rued being "chosen," even if it was by the gods. He hated the task he was forced to do, continuously breaking his body, mind, and spirit with every new trial, hardly given a break throughout his entire journey no matter how hard it became. He hated that the people he loved had only told him to press on, that he had been forced to shoulder the pain of the hero… but he did it for his friends – to save the children of the village, to save the residents of Ordon, the innocent light in their eyes, and Ilia, whom he loved… He did it to return everything back to normal, to bring back the idyllic ignorance of his youth, and peace to the land. He did it because he didn't want the people of Kakariko Village, Castle Town, the Zoras or Gorons to suffer… And the farther he traveled, the more he saw and experienced… the more he realized, for that end… things would never be the same.

Turning away from the ocean, Link feels a warmth in his chest. Outstretching his hand to Ilia, a faint smile on his lips, she takes it without pause. There's a smile on her face as well, though she tries to hide it and the small blush on her cheeks with a bow of her head.

As Link turns back to the waves breaking on the surface, fully aware of the slender hand in his, a hooded figure appears on the horizon. He squints, hardly able to see her, but would recognize her fiery orange hair anywhere.

Reaching out a hand toward the specter above the water on the horizon, his heart races wildly.

_Midna, I…!_

He stops.

The sun sinking deeper into the ocean, Link draws his hand back.

As Link wraps an arm around Ilia, sitting on the beachside, the hooded figure turns away.

_See you later._

Her mischievous grin and blood-red eyes fade with the twilight, urging him to move on.

* * *

**I still cry whenever I think about the ending of this game. Midna is one of my favorite characters of all time, definitely high on the list of my favorite female characters. I've endeavored to write something acceptable for **_**Twilight Princess **_**ever since I joined FFN in 2011, but nothing ever came out right. It's like writing too much about Midna inevitably leads to ruining everything she stood for in-game, so… I hope I was able to finally do her and this game justice here.**

**This is my second rewrite of the fic **_**Fated to Meet You **_**with a similar premise back in November. The opening lyrics are from the song **_**Ocean **_**by Native, which I believed to better convey what I originally wanted to accomplish. (Oh yes, look at me bringing back songfics in this day and age aldsjflsakda.)**

**I hope this fic can provide some relief in these trying times. I greatly appreciate **_**any**_** of your thoughts, and I hope you enjoyed the story.**


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